About Our Plants

At Coeur d’Alene Coop, we specialize in open-pollinated and heirloom plant varieties that thrive in North Idaho’s unique growing conditions. We do not sell seed, only live plants. While not “certified organic,” we adhere strictly to organic gardening principles. Our seed-starting mix and potting soil are approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), and we rely on organic fertilizers like fish emulsion to nourish our plant starts.

Every plant is grown from seed, often from certified organic seed stock. Each seedling is hand-transplanted into 3.5-inch containers and carefully hardened off, ensuring they are robust and ready to thrive in your garden. Depending on the plant variety, it may be anywhere from 3 weeks (squash/cucumbers) to 12 weeks potted on. Tomatoes and peppers are typically 7 weeks on by pick up.

Purchasing Options

Our storefront is open from January through April, with local pickup in May. We require a $20 minimum purchase. Once your order is complete, you will receive a link to schedule pickup in early May (usually in the first ten days). We encourage you to shop early, as we often sell out before May. We do not ship plants or sell seeds.

Plant Pick-Up: Once your order is completed, you will receive an email with a link to schedule your pick-up appointment. You will also receive a reminder email on the day of your appointment.

Please be considerate. I am not a large retail operation with staff. It’s just me carefully packing your order to be ready at your scheduled time. If you cannot make your appointment before the pickup date, please use the scheduling app to change your appointment. If you are running late or unable to come on the day of your appointment, please be considerate and call or text me to make other arrangements. Once your order is packed for pick up, it must be retrieved within 48 hours.

Our Veggies

We offer more than 80 varieties of heirloom and open-pollinated vegetable starts. More than 25 types of tomatoes are included, from the traditional large and meaty beefsteaks to minuscule currants. Our selection of tomato varieties varies yearly, as we like to add new cultivars along with the tried-and-true customer favorites. With more than 10,000 types of tomatoes we always have something new to choose from!

Along with our tomatoes, we also offer a wide selection of hot and sweet peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, and more. We also sell an excellent selection of annual and perennial culinary herbs.

Patio Perfect Space Savers

While everyone loves the fresh taste of home-grown produce, not everyone has space for a large garden. That’s why we offer a selection of heirloom and open-pollinated veggies perfect for containers or small-space gardening. You can see our full selection here.

Helpful Gardening Terms

What is an heirloom?  An heirloom is a plant with a history of being passed down through generations. The age at which a plant achieves heirloom status is somewhat subjective — some say heirlooms must have been created before 1940, while others state the variety must be at least 50 years old. Regardless of age, all heirlooms are open-pollinated, which means it will produce true-to-type seeds, but not all open-pollinated plants are heirlooms (there’s that age thing again).

What does open-pollinated mean?  This generally refers to seeds that will “breed true.” When the plants of an open-pollinated variety self-pollinate or are pollinated by another representative of the same variety (insects, birds, wind, or humans), the resulting seeds will produce true-to-type seeds and plants roughly identical to the parent plant.

Check out our Garden Glossary for more helpful gardening terms.